Since Hozuki Mangetsu had arrived early, he and Sarutobi Hiruzen were already seated.
Mangetsu looked around, swinging his head side to side. From this spot, he had a perfect view of the match below — a prime seat to watch the action.
He also glanced over toward the classroom area nearby. There was another white-haired teacher standing there, but clearly it wasn't Hatake Satoru.
Was the teacher not around?
Mangetsu sat back down, looking thoughtful. He felt completely on edge, like sitting on pins and needles.
Most of the people working in Kirigakure were in their twenties or thirties, so Mangetsu wasn't really used to dealing with old men.
And Sarutobi Hiruzen talked in that roundabout, cryptic way, which made Mangetsu not too eager to chat.
Too much effort.
But talks between Kage were always just surface-level formalities anyway.
"Well this is a surprise — the Mizukage of Kirigakure actually came too."
The Kazekage, face covered by a white cloth with only his eyes showing, walked up.
With all that covering, he looked shady and unlikable right from the start.
"Well, Kirigakure has been growing in recent years. An event like this, with two major nations involved — of course we'd want to come see it for ourselves."
Mangetsu smiled casually as he turned to reply.
Shouldn't this guy have greeted the host, the Hokage, first? Why was he coming straight to him?
The whole atmosphere instantly got a little weird.
Or maybe it was already weird before — this guy just made it worse.
Mangetsu kept his face neutral as he watched the two other Kage exchange small talk and then take their seats.
"Mizukage came here a month early to get a look around."
"But the trip must've been tiring for you."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a slight smile, acting like he didn't care at all about being ignored earlier.
"Not really. Good thing the event is being held in Konoha. Even though you're still young, it'd be rough for you to make the journey if it were somewhere else."
"That would've been too much for the Hokage, don't you think?"
"Seems like it's about time for you to pick a successor, don't you think?"
"Kirigakure's been doing pretty well lately. Must be thanks to having a new Mizukage in charge."
Most of the Kazekage's face was still hidden behind the cloth, making it hard to read his expression.
A jōnin standing behind Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a sharp glance at the Kazekage sitting nearby.
Shisui, standing next to Mangetsu, furrowed his brow slightly.
He hadn't really been involved in this kind of Kage-to-Kage interaction before, but something definitely felt off.
That comment basically sounded like he was calling Sarutobi Hiruzen an old fossil in a roundabout way.
It was Hozuki Mangetsu's first time meeting the Kage from the other two big nations.
The way they talked, all vague and indirect, instantly reminded him of chatting with his old master when he was a kid.
So this is what high-level politicians are like, huh.
Also, isn't Konohagakure and the Sunagakure supposed to be allies? Their relationship seems pretty awful…
Hozuki Mangetsu felt a little uneasy deep down, but he had no interest in getting dragged into the drama between these two.
He leaned back in his chair and stared at the arena ahead, pretending not to hear anything.
Better to just watch for now and figure out what's going on between these two. If he butted in too soon, he might get pulled into it.
Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled a bit and then said,
"I was surprised the Mizukage turned out to be so young too. But, you know, it's hard to feel at ease letting someone that young be in charge."
"Don't go lumping me in with the elderly just yet—I still plan to stick around for another five years."
As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up and walked to the railing, looking down at the examinees below.
This year, with people from Kirigakure joining in, there were even more students than usual.
Even though Hozuki Mangetsu left his village for a whole month just to watch the Chunin Exams—which shows how seriously he was taking it—
To be honest, a young guy disappearing for so long like that, and doing things his own way… it didn't really make him seem like a proper Mizukage.
Being young makes people think you're weak. Being away this long makes you seem unstable and irresponsible.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't too optimistic about Hozuki Mangetsu.
That was the kind of judgment he made without even realizing it.
The truth is, Mangetsu was young, and Hiruzen was old—so he naturally looked at Mangetsu like a junior and judged him that way.
He wouldn't say it out loud, of course, but deep down, that was his impression.
"...?"
Hozuki Mangetsu raised an eyebrow. Why was this suddenly about him?
First time stepping into a Kage group chat, and he couldn't even get an easy mode? Could these two stop sniping at each other and just talk like normal people?
The Kazekage didn't reply either. He just glanced over at Hozuki Mangetsu.
Orochimaru had already seen this Mizukage during the prelims. Aside from his shockingly young age, the guy hadn't really shown anything special.
No clever political moves, no standout abilities.
There were a few surprises, sure, but this kid didn't seem like a big threat.
After all, in Orochimaru's original plan, it was supposed to be just him and Sarutobi Hiruzen at this spot.
"Well, since everyone's here, let's begin."
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused for a moment, then faced the arena and spoke loudly.
"I'd like to sincerely thank everyone for coming to Konohagakure to watch the Chunin Selection Exams."
"Now, let's begin the official matches for the examinees who passed the preliminaries."
"Please enjoy the show."
His voice echoed through the entire arena.
Down below, only Naruto and Hyuga Neji stayed behind to compete. The rest of the students went back to the waiting area.
Right as Sarutobi Hiruzen finished speaking, Hatake Satoru landed in the rest area with a breeze that carried a faint sweet scent, drawing everyone's attention.
"There goes the old man with another one of his 'principal speeches.'"
Hatake Satoru found a seat next to Kakashi.
"Show some respect… he was just announcing the start of the exams."
"You left so early this morning and just now showed up?"
Kakashi glanced over at Hatake Satoru, who was biting into a skewer of dumplings and kept turning his head to eavesdrop.
"I'm not a ninja, so stuff like this isn't a big deal for me. Besides, he can't hear me from here anyway~"
"I was hungry this morning, so I went to eat. What, I'm not allowed to eat now?"
Hatake Satoru spoke with his cheeks puffed out from chewing, turning his head casually as he answered.
He had meant to head straight over after splitting up with Baki, but he saw a dango shop on the way and, for once, there was no line.
So he slipped over and bought some snacks first.
Baki still hadn't shown up—he probably went to deal with the remaining Sand ninjas.
Didn't matter. Once everything outside was settled, his next focus would be Orochimaru and that old man.
Hatake Satoru licked his lips, a bamboo skewer still in his mouth, and opened his system panel.
Figured he might as well check it out before the big fight.
[Role Template: Gojo Satoru]
[Sync Rate: 77%]
[Skills Owned: Six Eyes, Limitless, Reversal Red, Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue, Hollow Purple, Cursed Speech]
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